Alone
by SpiltWords
Summary: Just keep running. Keep your eyes ahead and run. Never look back, don't stop. Just run. When a single bite could infect you, your only choice is to run. Perhaps you're the only person that is left alive and you're alone in an infected world or perhaps the world isn't so bleak after all but that doesn't mean you should stop running.
1. Chapter 1

_Just keep running. Keep your eyes ahead and run. Never look back, don't stop. Just run._

The leaves rustled around her as she forced her way through the forest, her feet hitting the ground with loud thuds. She'd been running for most of the day, trying to get as far away as possible. She had left behind her home, the Eiffel Tower towered over the city in the distance behind her but it wasn't safe there any more. Not for her, not for anyone. Staying would be suicide but that didn't mean running wouldn't be either. She was running from the unavertable, If she was lucky, she'd find civilisation where no one had been infected yet. She'd be safe for a short time until they reached there.

Her rucksack thudded against her back as she slowed down, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. There was only so far she could run on a diet of rice and water. She slept for a few hours before continuing on her way, covering as much ground during the day as she possibly could.

This was the first time in her entire life that she had left Paris. She had no idea where she was going. She had avoided the roads, they were too flat and it would have been easier for them to get her there. A single bite would infect her and within hours she would be one of them.

It had started with a virus created in a lab in England. Someone had managed to spill a small drop of the liquid which had gone on to infect a patient, who then bit another patient who bit a doctor and so on... so far, there was no cure other than death. She had seen many of her friends become one of them, she didn't even know who was still uninfected and who was already one of them but she hadn't stuck around to find out.

She stopped as she reached a small lake, taking the flask from her bag and filling it with water. She'd need it if she was going to cover anymore ground before nightfall. The sun was already setting and the sky was slowly starting to darken. She hadn't stopped to eat since morning but she still had some cooked rice in her bag which she could eat later. A fire would draw attention to her, if not the attention of the infected, instead an animal that would see her as prey.

The next day was much the same. She awoke at the break of dawn, surveying the area before dropping to floor from the tree with a thud. Surely by now they would have caught up with her, not being far behind her but she didn't have time to worry about. Keep running, never look back. This was her life now.

By midday she had covered a few miles which only led her deeper into the forest. There was no sign of civilisation any where close to where she was. It'd been days since she had seen another person and almost a week since she had seen someone that wasn't infected. Sometimes it felt like she was the only left and perhaps she was but she couldn't give up hope.

By the third day she was growing weary, she wanted to give in. To lie down, wait and give herself to them and for a short time she had done just that. As the sun had reached the highest point in the sky she had stopped and laid down, staring up at the sky as she listened to the birds that called out around her. How peaceful it would be to be a bird, not having to worry about being infected. Being able to simply get up one morning and fly away... as she laid there, there was only one thought that played over and over in her mind... _Perhaps being one of them wouldn't be so bad._. Yes, she would loose her mind. Yes, she would bite another human and make them like her but at least she wouldn't be alone.

On the fourth day she came across the road. It led through the middle of the forest with no signposts or any signs of life, she decided to follow it. She followed it down hill, there had to be life at both ends but walking up hill would take more energy than what she had.

Her feet propelled her forward, hurtling down the hill as she ran. She ran towards civilisation, she ran towards food, towards comfort, towards hope.

It didn't take her long until she reached the village but when she did, it was silent. Doors were thrown open, windows smashed. Clothes were thrown across the floor, books discarded, cars left across the middle of the road. She felt her heart sink as she cautiously walked through the streets, looking at the empty houses. Perhaps there was no one there, but at least she might be able to stock up on supplies.

She stepped towards what was once a corner shop, pushing the door open as the bell dinged eerily to alert no one to her arrival. She walked through the shelves, glancing at the food as if she was shopping on a once normal summers day.

Sliding her bag off of her shoulder, she silently began to store the food for later. It felt like stealing, taking the food whilst no one was watching but by now the shop owner was long gone, perhaps they were dead... if she survived this she'd return, she'd pay for the food that she had taken but for now she just had to stay alive.

She froze as the door opened, the bell ringing out around her. She crouched down, hidden beneath the shelves as she listened to the footsteps that echoed around the empty shop, following by rustling. She bit her lip as she reached out, grabbing at a stale loaf of bread that sat on the shelf beside her. It wasn't much, but it was a better weapon than nothing. She held her breath and closed her eyes, listening to the footsteps as they passed by her on the other side of the shelf. She wouldn't let them turn her, she wouldn't let them bite her.

She stood up, clutching her weapon as the figure passed by the end of isle and silently, she followed them. Still holding her breath she turned, her eyes widening in shock as she watched the blonde man casually browsing the food.

She dropped the bread, her legs going weak as she fell to the floor. She wasn't alone, she wasn't the last one! But here was another human being, stood looking at the food on the shelves as if nothing was wrong!

The noise alerted the man who instantly turned, staggering back as he stared at the girl knelt on the floor a few feet away from him, leaned over the stale bread. He grabbed the walkie talkie from his pocket, hitting a button. "I've got one," he hissed into it. "There's one in here with me!"

The door flew open as footsteps hurried towards them. She didn't bother to respond, she didn't bother to look up as her body heaved as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't alone.

The man frowned as he pulled out a gun, pointing it at her as the footsteps stopped behind her. "Wait," Someone called. "I don't think she's one of them."

The blonde man scoffed as he took a cautious step forward. "It's covered in blood! It's a mess. Look at it's hair! It's one of them, I'm telling you! It doesn't even speak."

She glanced up as one of the men stepped around her, pushing the glasses up the bridge of noise as he watched her. "What's your name?" He asked.

She let out a small laugh as she closed her eyes. What was her name? She could be anyone she wanted to be now, she could tell them any name and they would call her that! It was something she had craved her entire life but now, now she couldn't think of anything to say other than, "Eponine." The world was cruel and taunting. Of course only now would it provide her with the chance to be whoever she wanted to be!

The man smiled at her kindly as he stepped closer. "My names Combeferre and that's Enjolras," he informed her as he gestured towards the blonde man who watched them warily. "And behind you we have Bahorel and Feuilly."

She nodded as she sat back on her heels, staring up at the man. "I'm not alone.." She breathed.

He smiled as he shook his head. "You're very much not alone."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks xXYamgirlXx and shadows-of-1832 for pointing out this chapter came out all glitchy. I'm not sure what happened, it did the same thing with the first chapter :/**_

* * *

><p>"We've been here for about two weeks now, the place was completely deserted when we arrived..." Combeferre rambled away as the three men walked a few feet ahead of her whilst Eponine trailed along behind them. She felt completely numb. Whilst she had been hoping that she'd find a town thriving with life, deep down she had believed that they were all gone but now, she had not only found one person but four. Four very much alive and not bitten people. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to run and scream for joy but she simply didn't have the energy. Instead she settled with watching them as she trailed behind, assessing each one of them curiously.<p>

The blonde man, Enjolras he was called, seemed to be the leader of the group. He had said little since the arrival of the others and still clutched the gun comfortably at his side. Beside him stood Combeferre, the one that seemed to do the most talking. During one of his rambles between here and the shop she had learned a lot about him. He was a medical student, or was, if there were any university left once this all ended. He was working with a friend to try and find a cure for whatever it was that was turning these people into monsters but so far, they had had no luck. Next was Feuilly, he looked like the eldest of the group in front of her and his clothes were covered in what she guessed were paint stains. He smiled at her softly and spoke with a slight Polish accent unlike the others who were all obviously French and finally, on the end of the line was Bahorel. He was taller than the others and had more muscles. His skin was covered in a display of tattoos which in any other circumstance she would have stood and admired all day but right now, she had other things on her mind.

The men walked with an ease that suggested that they weren't in hurry. They didn't seem to believe they were in any kind of danger as they talked among themselves, occasionally stopping to explain something to her, apart from Enjolras who insisted on remaining stoic but unlike the men, Eponine was unable to ignore the worry that was grinding away at the back of her mind. Didn't these men understand what was coming for them. Here they were, wandering through the deserted streets that alone sent shivers down her spine. Yes, perhaps they had been here for two weeks but it was just so... eery. She shuddered as she stepped over a doll that had been abandoned in the middle of the street, once a toy that a little girl had somewhere loved enough to take out of the house with her when she had left, only to drop it in the middle of the street. Whatever had happened here, the people that once inhabited these streets had left in a hurry.

Combeferre cleared his throat, taking her by surprise as she realised he'd fallen back in step with her. "Enjolras... he uh... He doesn't want you to see where we are going," he told her quietly as he plucked a strip of material out of his pocket and gave her a small smile.

She scoffed. "Does he think I'm one of them, pretending to be one of you?"

Combeferre laughed lightly, ignoring the glare that Enjolras shot him as they finally came to a stop as they reached a fork in the road. He shook his head as he blushed, holding the strip of material up and waiting for her permission. "He just... doesn't trust the government, he has a theory is all."

She frowned as she glanced at the blonde who stood staring off into the trees beside them, paying no attention to them. She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders and turned away from the medical student. "Sure, do it," she told him, allowing him to cover her eyes.

He carefully wrapped the material around her eyes before tying it behind her head, making sure not to catch any of her hair. She felt a gentle hand on his arm as he guided her forward and soon the sound of the other three mens footsteps reached her ears. "It's not far from here," Combeferre informed her with a gentle smile evident in his voice. "And I'm sure once we get back you'll be wanting something to eat."

"Oh," she blushed as she shook her head. "No, it's okay. I have my own food, I took it from that shop back there."

"Doesn't that make it out food?" Bahorel asked lightly as he stepped up beside her. "We've basically claimed this place."

Feuilly scoffed as he hit his friend lightly on the arm. "Shut it. She's probably been starving out here for days!"

"I can take care of myself," she told them stubbornly. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Evidently," Enjolras' voice rung out from behind her, taking her by surprise. His silence for past few minutes had led to her forgetting that he had been walking behind her rather than in front of her now. "If she wasn't alive she'd have been shot."

Eponine frowned slightly as she turned her head in an attempt to look over her shoulder and address the voice. "Does shooting them work?"

"If you get them in the head," Bahorel answered her lightly, drawing her attention back to him. "We got a few in the arm once but it didn't do much. It was Joly that suggested we aim for the head. It makes a hell of a mess, but it seems to do a trick but sometimes if we miss, it stuns them enough for us to grab them. That way the Docs can try their drugs on them."

Her eyes widened behind the blindfold and she felt the blood drain from her face. "They have families somewhere..."

"But if they bite us we become like them. Every human being will turn into one of them and there will be no cure, just infected beings..." Feuilly told her, his voice coming more gentle than the man before his.

"I get it but... I don't know, it doesn't seem right," she sighed.

"We're just doing what we have to do," Enjolras told her harshly as he brushed passed her, leaving her in a stunned silence.

"Don't worry about him, he's just... going through from stuff," Combeferre whispered.

* * *

><p>They reached the gates fifteen minutes later. Enjolras called out to someone to let them in as Eponine stood listening to the metallic sound as the gates swung open. Combeferre led her inside, waiting for the gates to once again shut before he removed the blindfold. She blinked at the sudden brightness that filled her eyes, examining the thick metal fence that surrounded the building. It seemed like most of the furniture that had been inside the building had been pushed outside to make a barricade around the fences. She wasn't sure what it was that they were trying to protect themselves from. The infected could hardly chew their way through the fence but she didn't bother to ask as she watched Enjolras disappear inside the building.<p>

"Ignore him, Doll," Bahorel told her as he threw his arm around her shoulder and began guiding her towards the building as she looked back for the comfort of Combeferres presence. Sure enough both he and Feuilly were close behind, following in their footsteps. "Lets get the tour over and done with!"

"What is this place?" She asked him as her eyes widened. She couldn't help but notice the various towers stood towards the perimeter of the fences, looking out over endless stretches of land. There were no tree to obstruct their view and at the very end of the field to the left, she could just make out a stream.

"This place? Some old military base," he told her with a shrug. "The electrics off, but I imagine that's the same all over, right? And we don't have any water but some of the women go down to the river and fill buckets everyday so we have some. Better than nothing. Means we can only have a bath once a week but you get used to it and one of the guys is trying to hook something up so we can get water from the river and into the pipes so we don't have to go fetch the water but don't expect to be sitting around relaxing and drinking tea all day, we're not British," he winked at her as he opened the door and allowed her to step inside. "But we've got plenty of blankets and plenty of company."

She repeated as she glanced around as she listened to him intently, taking in her surroundings. The walls were all completely white, some hosting the occasional window that looked into various rooms. She glanced through one, frowning as she spotted Enjolras stood in the centre of the room with his back to her, staring at various photographs that had been stuck up on the wall.

"Ah, now in there is Enjolras' office. It's kind of like the headquarters, you know? Just a tip, he doesn't like to be bothered when he's in there. If the doors shut, don't go in and if it's open, it better be something important you have to say to him," Bahorel explained as Combeferre excused himself to step inside the room. "Of course unless you're Combeferre or Courfeyrac - you'll meet him later."

Feuilly smiled as he stepped up to her other side as they continued to walk. "Now down here we have where they keep the infected ones that we've caught. It's the only place down here that's used but the door lock, so if you ever notice ones got out, hit the button here. You have exactly thirty seconds to run back the way we just came. Joly doesn't really like anyone messing around down here, in case we get bitten by one."

"That almost happened once," Bahorel explained as they stopped at the doors, allowing Eponine a look inside. Her eyes widened as she looked at the two people restrained to the bed with what looked like meters of rope. It looked like it would be impossible for them to get free, but that didn't put her mind at ease. She'd prefer not to be sleeping in a building with anyone that was infected, but if they wanted a cure... She shuddered as she looked away and Feuilly patted her sympathetically on the back. "I suppose we should show you to Joly, we don't want him freaking out and shooting you if he sees you on your own. He's great at overreacting, if you want a laugh."

"On the topic of shooting, have you got yourself a gun?" Feuilly asked as she shook her head quickly. "Of course not. We can get you one. It's important you keep it on you at all times, just in case. Bath with it, shower with it, eat with it... never put it down and you need to know how to shoot. Jehans surprisingly good at that, we can introduce you to him as well. He's really patient, he's taught half the guys here how to aim for the head."

"It's kind of worrying, really," Bahorel laughed. "He's really small, he's like a kitten but give him a gun..."

"I'll remember that," she told them, dryly as her stomach rumbled.

Feuilly grinned as he looked at Bahorel. "Maybe we should get our girl here something to eat first," he suggested. "Down here, just to the right you'll find the dinning room. Normally some of the women get together and cook all of the meals- don't look at me like that! It's nothing sexist, it's just after we burned the food every day during the first week they kicked us out and told us they'd do it. We makes up for it, trust us. We have to go out and find the food and bring it back here. Everyone eats together, the foods kind of rationed so everyone gets a fair share. Joly even worked out everyones diets so we all stay healthy but because you're new, you only just got here... and no offence, you don't look like you've ate a good meal for weeks, you can have something now. The food isn't amazing, we make do with what we've got but it's food. We even started growing some vegetables out back, we don't know how long we're going to be stuck here for so don't worry about the food running out anytime soon."

"And then we'll show you where everyone sleeps. It's a bit cramped down there but there's beds so it's better than the floor. I suppose we should be good hosts and let you get some rest," Bahorel told her.

"And then we'll do the rest of the tour!" Feuilly told her as he pulled her into the dinning room and headed for the kitchen. "Are you any good at cooking?"

She blushed as she scratched the back of her neck, remembering all of the meals she had managed to burn as a student, if you could call them meals. She had mostly lived off instant noodles and they generally tended to come out a black colour. "Not really..."

"Don't worry, we'll find what you're good at! Everyone has to chip in around here."

* * *

><p>Eponine stared up at the ceiling as she laid on the bed beneath the scratchy blanket. The room they had taken her to contained twelve beds, with barely a foot of space between each of them. She had to admit it was a bit of a squish and she wasn't sure how much she was looking forward to sleeping in the same room as all of these people but the guys had explained to her that when they had arrived they had moved all of the beds out and pushed them together in as few rooms as possible so they had more space but she had to admit, after weeks of balancing herself in trees and squished under bushes, it was nice to sleep in something that was slightly more comfortable but still, she couldn't sleep.<p>

Her eyes ached and her body screamed out for rest after all of the running that she had done but her mind wouldn't settle down. She was still in awe at how many people had survived and if there were people alive here... were there people elsewhere that had gathered together like this? She frowned as she sat up in bed, had they thought about trying to communicate with other groups? In films they always used the radio to do it.. could that actually work? She'd have to ask one of them.

Deciding that sleep wasn't going to come to her at all, she slipped out of the bed and got to her feet. She felt around until she found her shoes under the bed and shoved her feet into them. She felt reluctant about leaving her bag here, it had her few life belongings stuffed into it, but if went missing, it could only be one of the people that were in here that had it.

She got to her feet and hesitantly stepped out of the door. The corridor was quiet and dark... it must have been late evening by now and that meant that she'd get food again soon and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. They hadn't lied when they said the food wasn't great, it was pretty basic but she had been willing to eat anything. She wandered back in the direction she had remembered coming from, glancing at the various rooms that sat in darkness. She guessed eventually she would get used to the dark and her eyes would adjust but for the time being it made her feel on edge. It reminded her that she was heading towards where they had restrained the infected, a woman and a man. She wondered who they had been, did they have families and jobs? Were they from Paris like she was? What were their names?

She frowned to herself, scuffing her feet against the floor as she walked. Could they really class what they were doing as humane. Yes, perhaps they would find a cure and it needed to be tested on some of the infected to make sure it truly worked and they couldn't capture all of those that had been bitten... but shooting them... She was torn over the information she had been given earlier. Out there somewhere were her family, the thought of them being shot, even if they had been infected tore at her heart. Her parents she didn't care much for, but her brother and sister meant the world to her and she hadn't seen them in weeks. Her brother practically lived on the streets whilst her sister still lived with her parents. She had searched for them for days, hiding out in various building to avoid the infected but she hadn't been able to find them. She tried to tell herself that they'd got away, that they'd run... but it was hard to believe that.

She frowned as she glanced over her shoulder, watching as one of the shadows moved before shaking her head. No, it was just a trick of her mind. Shadows didn't move, not unless they were attached to a person and there was certainly no one behind her. She sighed as she continued on her way, trying to recall whether she was meant to go left or right... She chewed her lip as she glanced both ways before turning left and heading forward. The eeriness at the end of the corridor sent chills through her core. Something didn't feel right, something felt wrong... She swallowed as she pushed herself to continue, her arm brushing against the wall and making her jump. She finally reached the doors at the end of the corridor and placed her hands on them as she peered through the window and into the darkness. Everything was still and silent... She chewed her lip before pushing the door open. It squeaked as she stepped through before thudding shut behind her. She felt along the wall, trying to make her way along the corridor when she heard a rustling beside her.

"Hello..?" She called warily as she took a step away from the wall. The rustling came again as she glanced over her shoulder before suddenly she heard a wheeze of breath come from right in front of her. She jumped back, crashing into a tray before falling to the ground. Around her medical instruments clattered to the floor as whatever it was began to move. The sound of rope rubbing against metal filled the air and her eyes opened in realisation, she had gone the wrong way!

She froze on the spot, her mouth hanging open as she listened. Was it free? No, the sound came again as it grunted in annoyance, it's jaw snapping at the air. Her eyes widened in horror as she sat in the darkness before suddenly the doors were thrown open. "You're sure she came this way?" The voice demanded as she watched the shadowy figures burst into the room.

"I'm certain!" An unfamiliar voice replied as the two looked around. Eponine cleared her throat, the sound coming out as a snakk squeak as she saw a hand point in her direction. With a click a light suddenly appeared, blinding her as she blinked a few times before finding herself staring into a torch. She raised her eyes, finding herself face to face with a set of blue eyes that were set into a scowl.

"What the hell are you doing?" Enjolras demanded harshly as he grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet. She stumbled unsteadily as he turned the torch, lighting the two figures restrained to the bed that recoiled from the light. "Don't you see what's in here?"

"It was a bit too dark to see," she spat as she pushed past him and felt for the door. The small man gave her a smile as she shoved past him before skipping after her.

Enjolras scowled in annoyance as he glanced back at the beds before switching off the torch and following them out of the room. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I got lost! For Gods sake, it was a simple fucking mistake! Have you never managed to get yourself lost before? Can't you just get off of your high horse and-"

"No," he interrupted her, cutting her off mid sentence, his mouth set in a thin line.

"No?" She repeated as she stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned to face him.

Enjolras barely managed to stop before he walked straight into her, his brow furrowing as he shook his head. "No, I've never managed to get lost before. I accustom myself to where I am going first."

She narrowed her eyes at him before rolling them and marching back down the corridor. "Go fuck yourself," she called back to him.

The other man smiled brightly as he looked between them before running after her. "Wait up! I'm Jehan, I take it you must be Eponine..."


	3. Chapter 3

_24/12/2016 – 23.47_

_**Entry 17**_

_I feel like the days are getting longer, here. They seem to drag more than they did before. For a while I considered that perhaps it was the clock that hung inside the medical room was incorrect and was ticking slower than usual, but Joly assured me this wasn't the case._

_It has been almost a week since the new girl, Eponine, arrived here. She seems to fit in with the group, apart from with Enjolras. Sometimes I wonder whether Enjolras is trying to be rude or whether he just does not realise what he is doing. He communicates little with a majority of the people here, except for the small group of us who have been here from the start. He is no longer the boy that I grew up with, he is a cold man with little heart but I still hold on hope. I know the real Enjolras is still in there, it's just a matter of time before we find him again. Out of us all, I feel like he is taking this the hardest and he is more determined than ever to solve this._

_Today Joly and I treated the infected woman that we have been keeping in the isolation room with trial medicine AA719, it had almost little effect on her and within an hour she had taken her last breath. We were hopeful that this would be a breakthrough, Joly has spent many hours with this drug and our supplies are starting to run out. Courfeyrac grew up not far from this town we are currently residing in and assured us there was a hospital near by where we might be able to collect more supplies if we can find safe transportation. However, I fear that Joly is starting to loose heart in our fight. With every trial medicine that fails, he deflates more and more. Keeping his mood up is hard, we sing to pass the time as we slave away in our small lab at the back of the medical room and often we are still there late into the hours of the night whilst everyone else sleeps but I believe we can do this. This is our purpose, to find the cure that will save mankind._

_We constantly reminded, however, that we are far from finding a cure for this disease that has taken hold of the population and I wonder how we will treat the entire country with it when we finally come across it. We are small in number, we counted today and there are only 32 of us hidden in the compound, ten of which are children. I know there must be more people out there, possibly hiding in groups like we are but we have no way to contact them. It would be nice to be able to do so,we have no news of the outside world apart from what we have learned from Eponine over the past week. We can only assume we are not the only country that is infected now. The likelihood is that the rest of the world is slowly becoming infected, also._

_Tomorrow will be christmas day, the first one I have spent away from my family. It is strange to think that this time last year we would be setting our presents out under the tree, ready for the rest of our family to arrive. This year I am thankful for many more things than I was the last. I am thankful for the loving family that I grew up, I am thankful for all the gifts that they showered me with. I am grateful for the friends that I have met over the years, certainly Enjolras who without I am certain I would be infected by now and lastly, I am thankful for whatever being out there has allowed me to keep my life during this dreadful time._

_No snow has fallen this year. I can not remember the last time we were given a white christmas, but I have hope that we will see one soon. The building is very quiet today, I believe everyone is thinking of their loved ones and praying they are well. Perhaps tomorrow their spirits will be lifted. _

_The women have decided they would cook a full christmas dinner, some of the men have even volunteered their services, despite the burned soup incident. There are a handful of presents wrapped beneath the tree for the children that Bahorel chopped down this morning. It' is currently stood in the centre the dinning room, creatively decorated using socks and potatoes._

_To whoever is reading this, I wish you a merry christmas. I hope it is better than the one we are currently having._

_Yours,_

_P. Combeferre._

Combeferre set his pen down on the desk as he rubbed his eyes, tiredly. Enjolras had left him alone in the room, heading off to take over the watch of the gates from the towers and steadily, the building had fallen silent.

He stood from his seat, pushing it under the desk before setting his diary back in it's drawer. A mutual agreement had fallen among everyone that they would never interfere with each others belongings. The few things that everyone had brought with them had mostly been sentimental. Photos of family members, a piece of their childrens clothing, a teddy bear, a doll... For Combeferre it had been his faithful diary that had led him through good times, and bad. There were photos stuffed carefully among it's pages, some of which threatening to break free from the spine from plenty of use. His entire life was described between it's pages, every goal he had accomplished and those that he hadn't. He reflected on everything that went on around him and on the quiet nights, when he was feeling low, his writing allowed him to remember the good times and smile.

He made his way out of the room, pushing the door shut behind him before heading towards the bed that was calling for him. He felt at his pockets, making sure both his gun and his torch were in their correct places as he whistled quietly to himself, a soft tune that he had heard being sung by christmas carollers every year.

He paused as he noticed a faint glow from one of the rooms and pushed the door open. He frowned as he glanced over the tables, spotting the girl sat on the floor in the centre of the room, just beneath the christmas tree with a photo balanced in her lap and her torch shining down on it.

He cleared his throat as he took a step closer to her, not wanting to startle the poor girl. Her eyes shot up, two large brown orbs staring into his own before he quickly looked away. "I didn't want to intrude..." He told her, gently as she wiped at her eyes on the back of her sleeve. "I saw you torch, I'm sorry. I just wanted to check you were okay."

She forced a sad smile as carefully folded the photo and tucked it into her pocket. "It's fine, Monsieur Combeferre," she told him as she climbed to her feet and tucked the torch back into the sleeve of her jacket as she kept hold of it. "I was about to go to bed, anyway."

"Would you like me to walk you back, Eponine?" She hesitated at the offer before nodding her head and falling in step beside him. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, a pleasant silence falling between them. Finally, Combeferre glanced at her before tilting his head to the side. "Excuse me for being so up front... but how old are you?"

"Nineteen," she told him, smiling slightly. "I know, I look like a kid but I swear, I am nineteen."

He nodded his head as he glanced her over. She was small for her age, the top of her head coming only just up to his shoulder and she was worryingly skinny. Skinny enough that he could probably fit his hands around her waist he if he tried but there was something about her that made her seem older, wiser almost. He gave her a small smile as she stepped closer to him, her arms wrapping around herself in the dark. "Do you have any siblings."

"Yes," she smiled faintly as she glanced down at her feet. "I have a sister, she's eighteen. Her names Azelma and then there's Gavroche. He got put into care a few years ago but we still see him around a bit and Azelma was living with my parents. I haven't seen them in a while... maybe a week before all of this..."

"You didn't live at home then?" He asked her curiously.

She shook her head. "No, I was living with a... a sort of friend," she sighed. "Just some guy, no one really important. I didn't get on with my parents, Azelma didn't either. She was going to come live with me and we were going to get Gavroche. You know, so it would be the three of us again."

"I'm sure when this is all over that will happen," he told her, gently. "Would you stay in Paris?"

"I think so. It's only place I've ever lived. Azelmas always fancied England, though... we'd need money first. I worked for a bit at this bar, the pay wasn't great but the tips were okay. I don't think it would be enough for the three of us though and Azelma hasn't got a job and Gavroche would be in school... It's hard, you know?"

"I don't know," he admitted, quietly. His entire life Combeferre had lived in the comfort of his parents wealth. He only had to ask for something and they would get it for him without any questions. He never abused their wealth, none of them did. In fact, a majority of their money was donated to charity but he couldn't help but feel guilt for living an easier life than most, whilst everyone else struggled.

She chewed her lip as she shrugged her shoulders, forcing a small smile. "I know it's a stupid idea... it probably wouldn't even work and we don't even have the money for some fancy lawyer, but it's just nice to dream. Some days are just... hard but then I think about how one day we'll be back together, even if we have to wait until Gav is old enough to move out on his own... but it'll be the three of us again, one day. I know it."

Combeferre listened to her as she spoke, his smile genuine as he nodded along with her. "Enjolras is almost a lawyer," he told her before continuing as she shot him a confused look. "He studied law at University with Courfeyrac, that's how they met. Enjolras was only a semester away from finishing, Courfeyrac got held back a year... too much partying and not enough studying, but he's still smart, don't get me wrong. I bet after this is all done with, Enjolras would help you. Maybe you should talk to him about it..."

She scoffed as she stared at him disbelief. "I don't think if I even had the money to pay him for it, he'd do it. Every time I see his smug face I want to punch it."

His smile faded slightly. "You're both stubborn, I hope you don't mind me saying. I've known Enjolras for a long time, I know how he is. He isn't always like this, you know... but I think you're just as bad as he is. The only way you're going to get along here is if one of you backs down, I'm not saying it should be you... but I'm not sure he's willing to back down in an argument any time soon... but if one of you would, I think you'd like one another."

"I'm not stubborn!" She protested with a small pout as they stopped outside the bedroom.

He crossed his arms against his chest as he raised his eyebrow at her. "I don't believe that for one minute," he told her before glancing at the door. "It's getting late, I should really be getting some sleep myself... thank you for walking with me, Eponine."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for making sure I didn't get eaten by rogue wandering zombies."

He frowned. "They're not zombies, per se... but that doesn't matter right now, we can talk about that another time. Right now I feel it would benefit us both if we slept. I don't fancy having Joly wake me up to lecture me, and I'm sure neither do you."

"You know, you talk an awful lot," she grinned as she placed her hand on the door handle and pushed it down. "Good night, Combeferre."

He smiled as he nodded his head in acknowledgement of her comment. "People say I do. I try not to voice all of my thoughts, I don't believe anyone else would have the time to respond in conversation. Good night, Eponine."

She gave him one last smile before she stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind her, leaving the man alone in the corridor.

* * *

><p>A cheer filled the air, pulling Enjolras' concentration away from the map set out in front of him. He frowned as he got to his feet, curiously following the noise back to the dinning room. He stepped inside, raising his eyebrow as he was greeted by the sight of Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Jehan and Feuilly stood on a table, taking an over exaggerated bow together.<p>

He cleared his throat as he made his way through the crowd, glancing around at the unfamiliar bottles that they held in their hands. He frowned as he looked up at his friends, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"We raided the pub!" Bahorel announced as he jumped off of the table and held a bottle out to the blonde. "Have a drink."

Enjolras scowled as his grip tightened around the bottle. "You went out without telling anyone? You could have gotten infected! You had no back up!"

"Lighten up," Courfeyrac sighed as he stepped off of the table whilst Jehan and Feuilly continued to pass out more of the bottles. "It's christmas. We're allowed to celebrate, aren't we?"

Combeferre smiled as he joined them, patting Enjolras on the back. "One day of relaxing isn't going to hurt anyone. We'll work twice as hard tomorrow."

Enjolras frowned as he turned, looking at the group gathered around them, smiling happily for the first time in days as they talked among themselves. Everyone could see that spirits were getting low in the building and perhaps this was what they needed. He sighed before raising the bottle to his mouth and taking a swig, closing his eyes as he savoured the taste of the liquid. Combeferre grinned as he watched his friend before taking his own beer and disappearing into the crowd.

"Quiet!" Jehan shouted over the crowd as he stepped back up onto the table. He frowned as he cleared his throat, trying to speak up over the voices that filled the air. "Everyone! Be quiet!"

Bahorel appeared beside the smaller man suddenly, pressing his fingers into his mouth as he whistled. "Oi!" He yelled as the room fell silent before gesturing to Jehan. "Our young poet has something to say."

Jehan smiled at Bahorel before stepping forward, a grin spreading across his face. "Beer wasn't the only thing we managed to salvage. We didn't have any time to wrap them but we have presents for everyone! We took everything that we could, there's more than enough to go around."

Excited whispers were exchanged as Feuilly and Courfeyrac dragged a couple of sacks into the room and yanked them up onto the table before joining their friends. They reached into the sacks as they began to pass down the items into the crowd. They had everything, from clothes to toys, books and paper, even soap and shampoos. It was obvious that they had come from the houses, Enjolras wasn't even sure how they had managed it in the short time they had been gone but somehow they had and the small gesture had brought back a fight into the group.

He frowned as a jumper was pressed into his hands before raised his eyebrow at Courfeyrac. The man smiled back at him before shrugging his shoulders. "It's red. You like red, right?"

Enjolras rolled his eyes as he took another swig from his beer before making his way out of the crowd, heading for somewhere more secluded. He frowned as he paused, looking at the girl who sat at the back of the room, perched on the edge of the table and showing no sign of joining the group. His lips formed into a thin line as he stared at her, remembering the last interaction he had had with her almost a week ago.

Suddenly, Jehan appeared at his side and pressed a beer into his hand along with a dark green jacket. "Can you go give these to her, I have more presents to give out," he told him innocently. Before Enjolras had time to protest, the man had weaved his way back through the crowd and towards the table, leaving him with no other option other than the fulfil the mans request.

Enjolras sighed before scowling down at the items. He could just put them down on the table and she'd find them herself sooner or later, but Jehan had entrusted this task on him and he didn't want to let him down. He stayed glued to the spot, holding the gifts before he finally walked towards her after a few minutes of silent debate, keeping his eyes fixed on her as she turned her head and looked at him curiously.

He awkwardly held out the beer, watching as she warily took it from him. "Thank you... I think?"

He forced a small smile before holding out the jacket. "These are from Jehan, not from me."

She scoffed at him as she rolled her eyes, taking the lid off of the bottle taking a glug from the bottle. He watched silently as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and placed the bottle down beside her and taking the jacket. She wasn't the most ladylike person she had ever come across and her very presence in the building grated against his nerves but he didn't turn away from her. Instead he stood in front of her silently, waiting for something but not knowing what.

"Can you sit down or something? You just standing there makes me feel...awkward..."

"Oh..." He frowned as he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table before sitting down in and staring up at her.

She frowned as she glanced at him before sighing. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" He frowned.

"Why are you staring at me?" She demanded, crossing her arms against her chest as the jacket laid forgotten in her lap.

He scowled slightly as he looked away, refusing to return his gaze to her. "I wasn't staring, I was looking at you, _actually._

She scowled at the back of his head, not realising that the room had begun to quieten as the pair bickered. "But why?" She demanded.

"Because looking at people is something normal people do to interact," he replied icily, his mood instantly changing back to previous state before he rose to his feet. The girl was too infuriating to be around and he had so many other things he should be doing right now, and so should everyone else. They'd had their fun, now they needed to work.

However, before he could address the room and order them to break up this non sense, everyone turned towards the door at the other side of the dining room that led to the kitchen as it swung open and a small brunette woman came rushing out, carrying a large tray of various slices of meat that the men had managed to salvage from the shops. "Dinner is served!" She called cheerily as everyone began chatting enthusiastically as they moved towards the tables that had been pushed together in the centre of the room.

Jehan grinned excitedly as he skipped towards them, his braided hair bouncing merrily against his bright green jumper. "Come on," he ordered as he grabbed hold of Eponines hand. He reached for Enjolras' but the blonde managed to escape before the young poet could get hold of him, and made his own way towards the table.

Eponine scowled at Enjolras as he walked in front of them before sticking her tongue out at the back of his head. Jehan smirked as he glanced at her sidewards. "You learn to love him."

"I think I already learned to hate him," she mumbled as she took her seat at the table, wedged between Jehan and Bahorel on the wooden bench, with Combeferre sat opposite her. Beside him sat Joly and to the side of him, Courfeyrac and then Enjolras.

The table was already set with plates and soon various trays of food began to appear in the middle of the table, piled high with vegetables and meat, gravy and cranberry sauce... just enough to feed them all, but not too much that it would use up their dwindling supply of food.

Eponine frowned at her plate as she carefully began to take some of the food, only serving herself a small portion whilst everyone else scooped generous amounts onto their own plates.

_Eponine laughed as she ran down the stairs, her sister following her a few steps behind. She had waited all year for christmas, making sure to be on her very best behaviour! She'd wrote santa a letter and pushed it through her letter box when her parents forgot to post it, just to make sure that santa got it in plenty of time so would receive all the gifts she wanted!_

_Christmas was always her favourite time of year, especially at the age of six when the magic still seemed real. She loved the way the houses were decorated, and even the trees outside were wrapped with long strands of white lights. She liked the christmas songs she always heard on the radio, singing about reindeer and santa clause... she liked it even more when it snowed, but best of all she liked the presents._

_Santa always got her exactly what she wanted, and often even more things that she could never even imagine! Her birthday that year she hadn't received much, just a couple of books and a new pair of shoes... and Azelma hadn't got much either for hers. Since their little brother, Gavroche, had been born their parents spent less and less money on them. Sometimes it was hard not to be jealous of the baby. Before he had come along the two sisters had received everything they had wanted, even if it wasn't their birthday or christmas... but this year, that hadn't been the case._

_Eponine burst through the living room doors, running straight towards the christmas tree before she halted. Her sister stopped just in time to avoid colliding into the back of the older girl before she peered around her to see what was wrong. When she realised, her expression fell and she clutched at Eponines arm with a sniff._

_They hadn't been bad at all that year. They hadn't trampled the flowers, or wrote on any of the wallpaper. They hadn't made their neighbours shout, and they hadn't been too noisy... they didn't make the baby cry, except for once when Eponine took the babies teddy...but it was her teddy first and she wanted to play with him that day..._

_She frowned before turning to look at her sister who stared up at her with watery eyes. "It's okay, 'Zelma," she told her, taking her hand. "I bet santas just late... because he has a real long way to come and lots of other children to visit... I bet he'll come later or maybe tomorrow!"_

"_Did we do something wrong?" The red head asked as she clutched onto her sisters hand, her lip trembling as she tried to understand why they hadn't got a single present between them._

"_No," Eponine told her with certainty. "Come on, lets go check the shoes! Maybe he put something in there. If they're empty, we know he hasn't been yet!"_

_Azelmas eyes lit up as she listened to her sisters suggestion before she nodded her head. "But he _will_ come, wont he?"_

"_Of course he will, silly. Santa doesn't forget about anyone!" Eponine smiled as she led her sister towards the fireplace._

She jumped as she felt a hand on her arm, looking up from her plate as she met Jehans eyes. He frowned as he watched her, concern etched upon his face. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

She blushed before nodding her head, picking up her fork. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ferre asked you to pass the gravy..." He explained, smiling at her sympathetically.

"Oh..." She smiled sheepishly as she picked up the gravy boat and passed it across the table to the doctor. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was just... thinking."

He smiled at her kindly, nodding her head in understanding. "Is this your first christmas away from your family?"

She hesitated before shaking her head. "Not my whole family.. I mean, me and my sister used to have chrismtas together... sometimes our brother would come over as well..."

"Do you know if they're safe?" Combeferre asked her, his voice was soft as he poured the gravy over the food on his plate, glancing up at her.

She shook her head quietly. Jehan reached over, placing his hand over hers and squeezing it gently. "I'm sure they're fine, where ever they are."

"Are they much younger?" Combeferre asked her gently.

"Azelmas a year younger than me... Gavs about five years younger... I haven't seen them in a while," she admitted.

Combeferre gave her a sympathetic smile as he raised his glass. Courfeyrac leaned over Joly, almost squishing the poor doctor as he topped up the glass in the other mans hand with more wine. "To friends and family still out there."

A gentle murmur of voices passed down the table as they repeated the toast, raising their own glasses and clinking them against one another. Eponine smiled faintly as lifted her own glass, and met it against Combeferres. "Merry christmas, Eponine," he smiled as he took a small sip of his wine.

She nodded her head. "Merry christmas."


	4. Chapter 4

In the following weeks snow began to fall, covering the ground in a thick blanket of pure white. It covered the old debris that surrounded them, washed away old blood and dirt that covered the ground and gave everyone hope as the snow drops and daffodils began to poke their heads through the snow, bringing new life to a world where it seemed near impossible. New years eve came and went, spent in the dining room with the left over food from Christmas. Spirits were high and they remained high for the month that followed.

Eponine had found her place in the group, spending most of her time either with Combeferre, occasionally watching him work in the lab, or with Jehan as he scrawled various words over the walls of the make shift armoury, often about the beauty of the world…. A world that none of them knew.

But now it was almost February and even though the snow was still continuing to fall, growing a thicker blanket on top of the one that had already fallen, life still went on inside the building. The heating had broken a few days before and all of Bahorels hitting the boiler with wrench whilst Feuilly tried to help him with somewhat unhelpful words of encouragment had done nothing.

One by one the inhabitants of the building had moved their stuff into the dining room, setting up their mattresses on the floor side by side along with their blankets. Joly had insisted that the best way to stay warm was through body heat and he had been right. It was much warmer packed together than to be spread out across the building.

Eponine sat on her own mattress, staring up at the ceiling. She was wedged in between Bahorel and Jehan who had pushed the mattress together against hers along with Feuilly and Combeferre who had added their own mattresses to theirs. Now they all sat gathered together with a card game going on between them.

She glanced down at them, raising her eyebrow as she watched Bahorel throw a pile of nuts onto the strange mix of food that they were playing for. He'd tried to explain earlier, that in poker you play for money using chips but they had neither and so, they were playing for the food they had left over from Christmas. She'd never been into card games, especially not poker. It was a game that her parents had played with their friends and it never ended well. There would always be a fight, or someone would be accused of cheating and those nights were always the worst.

She sighed as she stood up, carefully stepping over the pile in the middle of the mattresses and made her way out of the room. She pulled the torch from her pocket, using it to light the corridor as she wandered along. She frowned as a light caught her eye further down and hesitantly she made her way towards it. She was certain Combeferre had told her that all of the inhabitants were staying in the dining room, but the flickering light suggested otherwise.

She peered through the window, watching curiously as the flickering light of the candle illuminated the blonde curls on top of Enjolras' head. She stood silently for a few minutes as he leaned over the paper on his desk, writing away until he stopped. Slowly he turned his head, his eyes widening as he jumped to his feet as he finally noticed the shadowy figure on the other side of the window. He reached for his gun as he took a step back and quickly, Eponine raised the torch to her face. His eyes almost doubled in size again before he slowly lowered his gun, his expression turning sour as he scowled at her.

She reached for the door handle but he was quicker, blocking her from entering. He threw the door open as he glared at her, crossing his arms against his chest. "I almost shot you!" He snapped. "What are you doing creeping around like that? Do you like watching people?"

She opened her mouth, about to reply with a curt answer before she decided better. She quickly closed her mouth again, gritting her teeth. "I saw a light," she told him coldly. "I came to see what it was."

"And then you just decided to _watch_ _me_? This isn't a zoo," he told her. "You shouldn't be out here anyway. Everyone needs to stay accounted for."

She sighed as she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I went wandering around outside."

His eyes narrowed as he glanced her up and down. "You didn't, did you?"

"Of course not. I'm not stupid," she snapped. "I'm not just going to go out there on my own. I was sick of being sat in that room, I just wanted to go for a walk. I didn't realise that was a crime in here now!"

"It's not a crime," he snapped. "Did you at least tell someone where you were going? Did you tell Combeferre?"

She hesitated. "No, I didn't…. I wasn't going to be gone for long. Just a few minutes."

"Well next time tell someone. Just not Bahorel, he has a tendency to forget these things," he sighed impatiently as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face as he watched her. "You should go back."

"I'm not done with my walk yet," she scowled at him as she took a step back.

He frowned as he mirrored her, following her into the corridor. "Go back," he told her. "You'll get lost and end up in the isolation room again."

"That was _once_," she told him. "I think I know my way around a bit better now."

"I'll escort you back," he told her as he grabbed hold of her arm. She scowled as she stepped back again, yanking her arm out of his grasp as he shot her another glare. "Walk!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" She hissed. "I know my way around, I know where I'm going and I have a freaking gun now! I'm not going to go wandering out and getting myself bit by one of them!"

For a moment she was certain he was about to attack. His face screwed up in frustration as he took another step closer to her and her heart began to pound as she shuffled backwards. She'd seen that exact expression many times before, never in here, but before. She was ready to run, to get away from him when she heard footsteps. She turned quickly, just in time to see Combeferre come marching towards them with Jehan in tow.

Enjolras sighed in frustration. "Is something wrong?" He asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Combeferre frowned, slowly shaking his head as he glanced at Eponine, giving her a small smile. "No, we're going to go take over the watch."

"It's time already?" Enjorlas asked as he glanced back inside the office behind them, looking at the clock that hung on the wall, steadily ticking away.

"You've been in here all day," Jehan pointed out as he stopped beside Eponine. "Want to come with us? We can show you what we do! It's really easy."

"She'll get in the way. Just leave her with Bahorel," Enjolras snapped as he turned and left them, slamming the door behind him as he returned to the office. Combeferre shot her an apologetic smile before he stepped inside the office after Enjolras.

Jehan frowned for a moment before his expression softened. He quickly linked his arm through hers and guided her back down the corridor. "Combeferre will catch up with us. Joly is on watch at the moment," he told her. "We keep watch in pairs, just in case anything happens. We just sit and watch for anything strange, basically."

"Right…" she forced a small smile as she glanced over her shoulder warily. "Does he get like that often?"

The poet frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her. He shook his head slowly, forcing his own smile for her. "No, just when he's passionate about something. I'm sure you just caught him in a bad mood…"

He led her outside in silence, holding the door open for her as they stepped outside. She shivered in the cold night air, hugging her jacket tightly around herself as Jehan led the way through the dark. She followed a few steps behind him, frowning slightly as they headed towards the gates. "Are we going out there…?"

Jehan laughed as he shook his head, his hair bobbing along with him in its braid as he stopped at the base of one of the watch towers. "No, we go in here," he told her. "There's a door just around the side, see? It's kind of out of sight. Enjolras won't let us go out here unless we have to."

He opened the door for her again and gestured for her to go inside. She slowly made her way up the stairs, holding tightly onto the handrail as the staircase twisterd around the inside of the round building. She blinked at the sudden brightness of the room as Joly quickly stood up with a frown until Jehan appeared a few steps behind her.

"There's electric in here…?" She frowned as she turned around on the spot, staring up at the light. "I haven't seen electric since… for months…"

"There's a generator in the building," Jehan told her as he took the riffle that Joly held out to him and quickly sat down in one of the empty seats facing the window. "The whole building gets electric, someone is still running electric somewhere, we think. Or at least, it never got turned off and there's no one there to turn it off now. We wont really know until something happens to it but we don't want to risk using up whatever electric is left, you know? If we turn on everything it might override the system or something. So we only use electric where we need it."

Joly yawned as he stood up, stretching his arms as he interrupted them. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat… I really need to sleep," he told him apologetically.

Jehan gave him a small smile. "Sleep well," he told him as he watched Joly retreat down the stairs, followed closely with a slightly older man. "You too, Pierre!"

Eponine frowned slightly as she hesitantly sat down in one of the now empty chairs, glancing down at the board in front of them that contained various buttons. "What is all this?"

"Never touch anything unless you're told too," Jehan instructed as he wheeled his chair closer to hers and began pointing out various buttons. "This one here is for the gates, that's the important one. We keep them shut all the time, unless someone is going out but then we have to make sure that there's none of _them_ out there, or at least nearby. This one over here is a siren, that's in case something massive happens and we need everyones attention… like if loads of them turn up. We have flood lights here, we don't use those in case they draw attention to us and over here is the lockdown button… if one got in we press this, we've never had to use it but we've tested it. That will lock the doors to the watch tower and to the building, hopefully to hold them off from getting in…"

"Do you think that might happen one day?" She asked him warily as she stared at the button.

"We'd hope not…" He told her quietly. "But it could, you know? And if it does, there's a kind of nuclear shelter sort of thing inside where we'd all go to. I don't know what we'd do from there… hopefully Ferre and Joly would have found a cure by then…"

"And if not?" She asked him.

"Then at least we'd die alongside out friends," he told her with a small smile.

"We'll find a cure soon," Combeferre told them quietly from the top of the stairs, taking both of them by surprise. Eponine looked up at him, catching his eye as he gave her a reassuring smile. "We're going to find a cure for this and end this. It'll all be over. We still have hope."

* * *

><p>Eponine spent the night sat alongside Combeferre and Jehan, staring out into the darkness as they waited for something, <em>anything<em> to happen. They told stories to pass the time, stories of their childhoods, their school years, their families… it turned out that for a couple of years when Combeferre was a child he hadn't lived too far from where Eponine and her family had lived, and Jehan had once been sat in the crowd at a concert that Eponine had attended.

Courfeyrac and Bahorel showed up at three in the morning to relieve them and tiredly, the three of them trudged back to the dining room before navigating their way back to their mattresses, carefully stepping over the others that were already fast asleep.

Finally, they found their mattresses in the middle of the room where they had left them, with Bahorel sprawled out, taking up most of the mattresses whilst Joly slept quietly on his own mattress that was wisely a few feet away.

Jehan climbed onto the mattresses without batting an eyelash, making himself comfy as he rested his head on the mans bare chest. Combeferre awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck as he glanced at the remaining space. "I can go see if there's a spare mattress anywhere if you prefer?"

She smiled faintly as she shook her head. "No, it's fine. At least it might be warm… but I'm surprised he isn't cold like that…"

Combeferre laughed lightly. "Bahorel is a…. unique individual and I'm certain Joly will have something to say about it in the morning."

She smiled as watched Combeferre carefully step over Jolys mattress before offering his hand to help her over. She carefully followed him until she was stood close to him in the small space, quickly letting go of his hand.

"Would you prefer to sleep next to Bahorel or on the outside?" He asked her with a quizzical look. She glanced down at the mattress before sitting down and carefully moving until she was laid beside Bahorel, leaving a slither of space between them. "Good choice."

She closed her eyes as she felt the mattress dip, Combeferre joining her a few moments later. When she opened her eyes she was greeted by the sight of the back of his hair. She smiled faintly as she stared at the mop of chestnut hair before closing her eyes once more. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"G'night Eponine," he replied sleepily.

* * *

><p>Morning came too quickly and Eponine was woken too soon for her liking. She blinked sleepily, frowning slightly as she nuzzled into the warmth that surrounded her without a single thought. She jumped suddenly as the mass beneath her began to move, her eyes widening as she realised that itwas Bahorel laughing. She sat up quickly, almost falling back in surprise as the man grinned at her. "Morning sunshine," he smirked.<p>

She blushed as she edged away from him, glancing around to find them alone on the mattresses. "Where did everyone go?"

"Ferre went to see if Enjolras got any sleep last night and the others went out. We didn't want to wake you so I stayed behind," he smirked.

"I.. you didn't have to do that, you could have woke me," she replied as she stretched her legs with a yawn. "What time is it?"

"I don't know, probably about eight or something?" He shrugged.

She groaned as she flopped back down on the mattress, grabbing one of the discarded blankets to cover her face with. "It's too early."

Bahorel laughed as he stood up, navigating his way around the mattresses. "If you want breakfast I suggest you get up now before it's all gone."

"I'd rather sleep," she mumbled tiredly as rolled over, burying her face into the mattress.

"Suit yourself," he laughed.

She fell back to sleep easily, managing to only get another hours sleep before she was woken again, this time by voices filling the room. With a defeated groan she got up, running her fingers through her hair to yank the knots out before she made her way out of the room.

She wandered slowly, struggling to keep her eyes open as she passed the office where Enjolras sat deep in conversation with Combeferre. She paused for a moment, remembering her conversation with the blonde the night before, before she quickly continued to walk.

A few minutes later she found herself stood outside the armoury. She placed her hand on the door, slowly pushing it open as she looked inside to see if there was anyone there. Jehan smiled brightly at her as she entered, skipping over to her. Her paused, tilting his head to the side as he clicked his tongue. "You look tired."

"I _am_ tired," she yawned as she rubbed at her eyes. "How are you not?"

"You get used to it," he told her. "I was going to ask if you wanted to shoot some stuff… but I'm worried you might accidentally shoot yourself right now. Want to come and help me decorate?"

She smirked as she raised her eyebrow, glancing at the partially covered wall. "How did you manage to reach up there?"

Jehan pouted at her for a moment before dropping back down onto his knees to continue the verse he'd been writing. "Feuilly helped me. I told him what to write and he wrote it."

She nodded her head as she knelt down beside him, picking one of the marker pens up off of the floor. "Shouldn't we save these in case there's a marker shortage or something?"

Jehan grinned as he grabbed hold of the bag beside him and thrust it into her arms. She raised her eyebrow as she glanced inside, her eyes widening at the amount of pens. "I brought them with me, I don't think we'll run out for a while and they always bring back any pens they find for me, any way."

"I guess not…" She told him, raising her eyebrow. "So… what do you want me to do?"

"Are you any good at poetry?" He asked her curiously. "Or drawing? I'd like some art on my walls… to brighten it up a bit."

"I'm not really… arty," she told him with a frown.

"That's okay, I wrote some out in case anyone was stuck," he told her cheerfully as he pushed a pile of paper towards her. "Pick one you like."

She cautiously took the pages from him and slowly began reading through them, one by one. There were hundreds of them, most of them were wrote by Jehan himself whilst others were ones that he had remembered. She sighed as she laid down on the floor, resting her head in his lap as he continued to write on the wall, smiling contently to herself as she continued to read them. "I like this one," she told him, finally.

"Which one is it? Read it to me!"

She frowned slightly. "I'm not really good at reading poetry…"

"Nonsense," he scolded her lightly as he glanced down at her. "Everyone is good at reading poetry, they do it in their own way. Every poet is… unique! Go on, I know you can do it!"

"In this short Life that only lasts an hour, how much -how little –is within our power," she read, smiling faintly down at the page in her hand.

Jehan smiled as he sat back listening to her. "Ah, my dear sweet Emily Dickinson!" He sighed, looking up to the ceiling. "A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day."

"Won't you run out of space eventually?" She asked him as she sat up. She glanced at the bag beside her and picked out one of the pens.

"No, we have the entire building it write on!" He smiled. "And I will never run out of words to say!"

Jehan frowned as voices filled the air outside the room and cautiously placed the lid back on the pen before standing. Eponine followed him, peering around the door as he pushed it open. Her eyes widened as she watched Combeferre help Feuilly carry a man down the corridor, each with one of his arms around his shoulder whilst his head lolled to the side. His dark hair was matted, stuck to his face and covered in dirt whilst his clothes were torn and bloodied.

She took a step back, glancing at Jehan he watched them curiously. "Who is that?" She whispered.

Jehan frowned before shaking his head, stepping out the room. "I don't know, I've never seen him before…"

* * *

><p><em>Au: For anyone wondering, the two poems were In this short life and A word is dead, both by Emily Dickinson.<em>


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